Riley hurt in Alaska motorcycle wreck

Former Gov. Bob Riley was in fair condition Monday after a motorcycle wreck in Alaska on Sunday, and is expected to fully recover, his son and officials said

By Dana Beyerle, Montgomery Bureau

MONTGOMERY | Former Gov. Bob Riley was in fair condition Monday after a motorcycle wreck in Alaska on Sunday, and is expected to fully recover, his son and officials said.Rob Riley said his 66-year-old father called him late Sunday night.“I thought he was calling because he was having so much fun and forgot what time it was,” Rob Riley said. Alaska is three hours behind Alabama’s time zone.“I said, ‘Hey buddy, how are you?’ and when he answered he said he had had an accident,” Rob Riley said.He said his father told him he was calling from the emergency room at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, where he was being treated for seven broken ribs, a broken collarbone and a punctured lung.Lisa Johnson, a spokeswoman at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, said the former governor was awake and alert. His condition was upgraded to fair after initially being listed as critical, she said.“He’s stable … the outlook is favorable,” Johnson said.Rob Riley said his father was in intensive care. “(A doctor) said ‘your father has had serious injuries and it will take a lot of recovery time,’ but he didn’t think it was life threatening.”The former governor was on a cross-country trip that he began planning before he finished his second term in January. His goal was to ride his motorcycle from Ashland, his hometown, to Alaska and back. Former Riley chief of staff Dave Stewart said Riley plans to return to Alabama as soon as he’s cleared to travel.“He regrets he won’t be able to finish the trip,” Rob Riley said.He said his father told him that he was on a gravel road when it started to rain. He was heading to a paved road about a mile away, but his tires hit a slick spot and he had to “lay the bike down.”He was wearing a helmet, said Rob Riley.Rob Riley said Monday he was about to leave for Alaska and that his family appreciates “all the prayers and support from so many people. People from Alabama are generous in their prayers.” Former First Lady Patsy Riley, who was making plans to travel to Alaska later, released a statement that said, “God was watching out for him. We feel blessed because it could have been so much worse.”Gov. Robert Bentley also said he hoped for the best for the Riley family. “I am relieved to hear that he is expected to make a complete recovery. He, Patsy, and the rest of the Riley family are in the thoughts and prayers of all Alabamians today. Dianne (Bentley) and I wish only the best for him, and pray for the governor’s speedy recovery so that he can get back to the things he enjoys doing.”House Speaker Mike Hubbard, R-Auburn, a close ally of Riley, released a statement.“I was relieved to hear that my friend, former Gov. Riley will make a full recovery,” Hubbard said. “Throughout his trip, he has been relaying to me some wonderful experiences of seeing different parts of our country, enjoying the beautiful landscape and visiting with all the cowboys, truck drivers, mechanics, and waitresses he’s encountered on the road. I am disappointed he won’t be able to complete his trip as planned, but I am thankful that he will be okay.”

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